Cold Greed

Irvek often wondered about Slade. Ever since that mask got smelted to his face, his entire personality changed. No longer was he happy-go-lucky and optimistic! Now, Slade had been reduced to a man that thought dark, terrible things. One dare not ask what he was thinking of, or Slade would lash out.

Irvek sighed. Poor Slade. They had been such good friends, but now...

Slade and several others had left the small village to search for something to help them with their economic problems. Ever since whaling had been internationally outlawed, they had been forced into an ever-worsening situation. And with global warming, nobody knew how long they would survive.

Then, weeks later, Slade had returned. His tone had changed. He seemed happy. “Gold! We found gold!” he shouted.

The village celebrated. With the gold, they could finally afford what they needed to survive! The very next day, they set off for the golden rock.

Once they arrived, Irvek spoke with Slade. “Are you sure this is gold? It might be false.”

“Irvek, Irvek, Irvek, my friend.” Slade replied. “Have you not read the white man’s books of knowledge? The fake gold—pyrite, I think it is called— turns black when exposed to conditions like ours.”

“Well then, as I have not read those books, I will trust you.” Irvek replied. “Soon, when the mining begins, good times may come.”

“They will.” Slade “I guarantee it.”

“Don’t jump to conclusions.” Irvek chided. “You have a read the white man’s books of knowledge, but I have read their books of life. If what they say is true, we must not let our desire for this gold to madden us.”

Slade placed a hand on Irvek’s shoulder. “You shouldn’t worry. If there’s anyone who can resist greed, it’s our village.”

In hindsight, it was a bad idea to relocate the village to directly beneath the mine.

Slade, Irvek, and many others had climbed the face of the glacier. They entered a cave and saw the most beautiful thing they ever would see. Encased within the ice was about fifty tons of gold. For a while, everyone simply stared in awe.

“Right, let’s have at it, then.” A man stated, stepping forward, holding two pick axes.

For days they dashed their axes against the ice, slower enforcing their will upon it, drawing ever closer to their reward. Days turned to weeks, and still they hadn’t reached the gold.

Down in the village, every night, Irvek wondered about the gold. For some reason, he could feel evil eminating from it. He sensed that something bad was going to happen, but Slade simply said he was being, as the white man said, paranoid.

Months passed, when the gold had finally been reached. “Start on the gold! Start on the gold!” Slade demanded. Several men began chipping small flecks off with vigor, but their enthusiasm soon turned to mortal terror as the ice around the gold began to crack and shatter. A giant slab fell from the mine, taking many with it. It fell down into the village.

Nobody had time to react. The damage was done, and half the population had been killed.

Irvek stared down the glacier in horror. He turned to Slade. “We have to stop. We can’t risk this happening again.”

“No!” shouted Slade. “Irvek, are you mad? This gold is the one thing that will save us all!”

“And what of them?” Irvek yelled, pointing at the village. “Did the gold save them?”

“Sacrifices must be made!” Slade shrieked.

A man stepped forward. “No, Slade. I agree with Irvek. We should cut our losses and-“

His death was unheard as Slade shoved him off the edge.

“Idiots! Fools!” Slade raved. “We MUST have this gold! We NEED it! And if anyone disagrees, they can join the scum called Deda at the bottom of this cliff!”

The men quickly began working on the gold once more.

Days passed. One night, while Irvek was falling asleep, a man began climbing the glacier, seeking to return to the wounded village. With a sickening gurgle, a harpoon impaled him. “Nobody leaves until we have the gold!” Slade ordered.

Eventually, as the mining continued, more and more gold was liberated from the glacial prison. However, the combination of sun and labor caused one final cataclysm.

Once more, as the gold was mined, the ice came crashing down, and dragging the miners with it. It fell to what remained of the village. There were no survivors.

“See what you’ve done!” Irvek yelled at Slade. “We’re the only two left. Everyone else is dead. It’s over. We’ve lost, thanks to you, Slade. I do hope you’re happy.”

Irvek turned and walked toward the glacier side, and began his descent. He had barely started when a harpoon ended his life.

“I said nobody leaves until we have the gold!” the crazed Slade shrieked. He picked up an axe and began furiously striking the gold.

The scientists scaled the glacier, noting the frozen bodies above the snow and ice. Two had harpoons in them. The scientists walked into what remained of the cave and saw one final body, a mask smelted to its face, on the gold.

“Poor guys. They were probably trying to get some money. Didn’t notice it was fool’s gold, because it’s so cold.”